Steve Stricker is the conquering hero of Erin Hills, no matter what the leaderboard says

Rickie Fowler may be the tournament leader, but Steve Stricker is the undisputed king of Erin Hills.

Apologies for conjuring up the name of the worst show in television history, especially since Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless are inexplicably broadcasting from Erin Hills this week, but Stricker’s supremacy is in little doubt.

Stricker is from Edgerton, Wisconsin. The U.S. Open is in Wisconsin for the first time. These are a pair of facts golf fans have been bludgeoned with in recent weeks.

But putting aside the narrative for a moment, this isn’t merely the media grabbing at a tasty story. Wisconsinites at the U.S. Open are greeting Stricker like a conquering hero…oh, and his wife, Nicki, is carrying his bag, which only endears Strick (and Nicki) further to the faithful.

He was greeted by five-deep galleries as he teed off Thursday, and a wave of fan enthusiasm followed him around the links-style layout.

Stricker, without a major, made the cut in Wisconsin to the delight of the gathered masses. He almost didn’t have a chance to compete, denied a special exemption, Stricker was forced to head to qualifying. And fortunately, he was able to qualify handily, winning the sectional event at Germantown Country Club.

Best Players Without A Major:

Lee Westwood

While he plays primarily on the European Tour, Lee Westwood, at age 43, is still the No. 52-ranked golfer in the world. He’s won 42 times around the world. With 76 majors under his belt and a top-20 finish at the Masters, Westy is the historically greatest player on this list. (Photo source/Wikimedia)

Matt Kuchar

Seven times a winner on the PGA Tour, Matt Kuchar is the embodiment of cut-making steadiness and back-door top-10 finishes. It’s easy to forget, though, that with a bevy of major experience (45 starts), Kuchar has finished top 10 his four of the last six Masters. At 38, he looks poised to, at the very least, win a green jacket before his time on the PGA Tour is done. (Photo source/Wikimedia)

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Paul Casey

Paul Casey is one of those players you feel like won a major in the mid-2000s but actually didn’t. A pro for the last 17 years and a 16-time winner on Tour, Casey has nine top-10 finishes in 52 major starts. This includes three top-10s in the last five majors. In other words, he’s very close. (Photo source/Wikimedia)

Patrick Reed

There’s no doubt Patrick Reed has a competitive fire bar none and wants a major as badly as anyone on this list. Unfortunately, his ball flight, a sweeping draw, doesn’t work well at Augusta National, U.S. Open venues, or British Open venues. Simply, when Reed finds the right venue (likely at a PGA Championship), he could put the pedal down and run away with a major title. (Photo source/Twitter)

Jon Rahm

Rahm has burst onto the PGA Tour scene with a combination of power, touch, and confidence unseen since, perhaps, Tiger Woods in the late 90s. Already a winner on the PGA Tour, Rahm’s rocketing up the Official World Golf Rankings shows how this fearless player compares to his peers (quite favorably). Expect him to be among the top five in the OWGR in short order. (Photo source/Twitter)

Rickie Fowler

Once deemed the most overrated golfer on Tour by his peers, Rickie Fowler has silenced critics with three wins in the last couple of seasons. And of course, he finished inside the top five at all four majors in 2014. That fact alone suggests Fowler is well-positioned to break through in a major. Certainly, his steely finish at the “fifth major” (The Players Championship) in 2015 suggests Fowler has the “extra gear” major winning requires. (Photo source/Twitter)

“You just watch the galleries clear out as soon as he walks off,” said one fan, per a Golf.com report. “A lot of people are watching him, and it’s an honor to watch him.”

Indeed. And no doubt Stricker was enjoying the fan response.

“Great receptions almost every green I walked up on,” said Stricker, after his opening-round 73. “Every tee, in between the greens and the tees, I got a lot of support out there today. And it was a lot of fun. Definitely keeps you motivated to play well, you know, with a lot of people cheering you on. I saw a lot of familiar faces and friends.”

It has to be a heckuva an experience for the 50-year-old. While he’s not likely to hoist the U.S. Open trophy, to have his wife on the bag, play well enough to make the cut and be treated to such a reception is remember-it-for-the-rest-of-your-life stuff.

And, while Stricker is too nice of a guy to say it, there has to be a measure of satisfaction in sticking it to the USGA who denied his exemption. The suggestion of that denial was that he’s not significant or skilled enough of a golfer to merit such consideration. Fortunately, he’s proving both those perspectives wrong this week.